A few years ago, I never understood the concept of concealer – especially because I thought foundation could do the job, and I thought it only worked on my light-skinned sisters. I also perceived concealer as a product for hiding pimples ….. Listen, if you have a zit, you have a zit and there’s no way to hide that, and your skin ain’t got time for that. Fast-forward to the era of YouTube and Kim Kardashian – the queen of contouring and highlighting. Finally we all spoke the language of concealer.
Product: LA Girl HD PRO. Concealer is BIG in the YouTube make-up streets. People rave about the diverse colour range in addition to the amazing formula and the budget-beating price. So the minute I found out it was available in South Africa, I knew I had to get it. Having been sold on the product just by watching a few (read quite a lot of) reviews and tutorials, and loving the BB cream that I’d tried a few years ago, I decided to try out their foundation – the LA Girl PRO. Coverage Illuminating Foundation.
Claims
LA Girl HD PRO. Concealer: crease-resistant with opaque coverage in a creamy, yet lightweight texture. The long-wearing formula camouflages darkness under the eyes, redness and skin imperfections. Provides complete, natural-looking coverage,evens skin tone, covers dark circles and minimizes fine lines around the eyes 
LA Girl HD PRO. Coverage Illuminating Foundation: high-definition long wear illuminating liquid foundation is ideal for a flawless looking, full coverage finish. Lightweight formula is comfortable for all day wear. Paraben free formula with added anti-oxidants helps hydrate and improve the skin’s appearance. 
Price: I bought mine at Dischem in South Africa. LA Girl HD PRO. Concealer costs R60, and LA Girl HD PRO. Coverage Illuminating Foundation for R175. For all of us here in Zim, that translates to about $17 in total.
Colour Pay Out: For the concealer, I use the colour Chestnut (GC 986), while for the foundation, I use Rich Cocoa (GLM 655). I don’t realise it often but I am quite dark skinned. These products really are as described – those blemishes will be a thing of the past! And for once in my life, I found a concealer and foundation that do not make me look like a ghost, even under the harsh light of a camera flash. The undertones are just right and my skin looks like its natural colour. Jesus finally spoke to the make-up people!
Concealer Swatches
Texture: The foundation is water based but somehow doesn’t leave you with a powdery look. Instead, you get a nice dewy finish. The concealer is creamy and absorbs/blends into the skin like a dream. I’ve tried other face products that are creamy, and those tend to slip and slide or crease all over my face. In hind site, I realise that those were probably oil based products. This is definitely not the case here.
My Experience of Using It: Given that these two product are quite opaque, my next worry was that they wouldn’t fare well on my oily skin.
To be honest, the foundation has not passed the African heat test, but the colour is so right that I find other ways to fight the oil seeping through. The bottle is made of plastic, so it’s safe to drop/be clumsy with. There’s also no risk of wasting product due to spillage because it’s a pump bottle. The finish of the makeup makes me look dewy and flawless like I said. Overall, the colour match gets a 10/10.
The concealer on the other hand – just go and buy it ok! It’s not greasy but it’s not drying all at once. The brush applicator really helps to sculpt my brows just the way I want, while still giving me enough action for applying underneath my eyes. When you squeeze the tube, you get just enough product out without wasting anything. Finally, the tube may look small, but the product literally lasts forever.
Extra Information: I use the concealer as an eyeshadow base in addition to using to define my brows and slightly highlight my under eye area. The eyeshadow colour will pop out, and it will stay like that the whole day.
Verdict: The two products definitely lived out to their claims. Clearly I like the concealer more than the foundation. I will be re-purchasing the concealer, and make-be the foundation. I’m still quite keen to find a foundation with a good colour match and very strong resilience against this heat. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
The Budget $lay 